I had a whole post written out about how my word for 2016 was going to be LOVE. The thing is,though, it never felt quite right. It was close, but I couldn’t get comfortable with it. It was like that sweater with the scratchy tag.
At first, I thought it was because the word felt a bit cheesy. Let’s face it, love is probably the most overused word in the English language (well, right after the word, “Fine.”).
And one thing I want to learn to do this year is love others better and love God better, but I still just didn’t feel settled with the word Love.
Then, on my way to do some pet sitting, God showed me my word for 2016: Enough. I always know God is speaking to me because I cry. I’m not normally a big crier, so when the waterworks start, it’s sort of a sign that God is speaking directly to me.
While I experienced the amazing experience of God loving me in the midst of some my hardest days this Fall, what I really learned is that God is enough.
He is enough when you are shattered by grief.
He is enough when you or a loved one gets that diagnosis you never wanted to hear.
He is enough when you fail.
He is enough when you succeed.
He is enough when your heart is broken.
He is enough when you feel all alone.
He is, quite simply, enough for every moment of every day we live on this earth with all its inherent heartaches.
And because He is enough, I am enough.
![curated-stock-photos-v2-012-017[1]](https://i0.wp.com/www.divineordinary.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/curated-stock-photos-v2-012-0171.jpg?ssl=1)
He is made strong through my weakness. Please don’t ask me how that works. I don’t really know how, but I’ve seen it in action in others lives and in my own.
Through Christ, I can be free indeed.
Through Christ, I am no longer a slave to sin.
Through Christ, I can love even the unlovable.
Through Christ, I can exercise self-discipline.
Through Christ, I can choose to be brave even when my knees are knocking in fear.
Through Christ, I can overcome and be more than a victor.
Through Christ, I AM enough – not because of anything I’ve done, but because of what Christ has done in and through me.
The Bible tells us in Ephesians 1:3, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.”
While I have always known this, that I am equipped for the good works God created for me to do, I don’t always live that way. How about you?
Here’s the thing, though – we live out what we truly believe. Our actions are a reflection of our faith, our truths and our priorities.
This Fall, after losing my brother, God met me on my back porch. On a little secondhand wicker love seat, He comforted me and He healed me and He made Himself known to me in a way that I had never known before.
And knowing that – truly knowing that Jesus is enough no matter what comes my way has been life altering to me. I look at life differently because I haven’t just read about Jesus being enough in the hardest times. I’ve experienced it.
But, as with all great truths that Jesus teaches me, I tend to be forgetful. I am bowled over by the fact of God’s love for me, but then life rushes in and I lose sight of the bigness of that. Or God meets my needs and I rejoice but then a few weeks later, I’m worrying about finances again.
Like the children of Israel, I have short term memory issues when it comes to God’s faithfulness and goodness.
So, this year, when the word enough came to me on that drive, I knew it was exactly right. In 2016, I want to live out the truth that He is enough and through Him I am enough to do exactly what He has called me to do.
How about you? What is your word for 2016?
I’d love to hear about it!
Blessings, Rosanne
8 Comments on My Word for 2016
Leave a Reply
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
My words for 2016 – Glorifying God in all Things.
So with your Love and my words we should have a great relationship in 2016.
Love you, Mom
What a great phrase for 2016! 🙂 Love you!
Thanks for this post Rosanne! I’ve been pondering this word “enough” for all the reasons you mentioned.
But when you wrote. ..we live out what we truly believe. Our actions are a reflection of our faith, our truths and our priorities….
I was affirmed that my word for 2016 is BELIEVE.
I hear what you say – but until I believe that God is enough in the first place, I won’t live our the rest. Thanks fir helping me frame it.
Isn’t it so cool how God uses us to help each other in hearing from Him? I’m so glad that my words helped you find your word for 2016.
My word is “today”. Live for today, love those in my path today, love my family today, be thankful for today.
What a great word, Tammy! Very Carpe Diem! 🙂
My word for this year is praise. God inhabits the praise of His people and I want to be more aware of His presence in my life.
I found this on the Internet concerning my word “praise.”
God Inhabits Our Praises
The Word says that God inhabits the praises of His people (Psalm 22:3). It’s amazing to think that God, in all His fullness, inhabits and dwells in our praises of Him. When someone asks, “Where is God in this situation?” We know that God is found in our praises. He occupies our praise, and with His presence He brings His love, His healing, His forgiveness, His grace, and His mercy. Whatever is needed to make a situation turn around for the good is present as we praise the Lord.
God inhabits your praises — not just my praises — not just on Sunday in church, but at your home, while you are at work, and when you are washing clothes or preparing a meal for friends and family. God in all His fullness, inhabits your praises. If you could grasp this truth, you would understand that every time you praise Him, every time you worship Him, He is present to meet your needs. As you praise and worship Him, name your needs and watch Jesus answer your needs. He is all you need.
If you think you only need food, air to breathe, etc. You think wrong! Without Jesus we actually don’t need anything else, because without Jesus life is not worth living. I need Jesus. You need Jesus. He is all we need.
Our praise is irresistible to God. As soon as He hears us call His name, He is ready to answer us. That is the God we serve. Every time we praise Him, His presence comes.
Praise and worship breaks through all boundaries of talent and ability. Praise invades hell and excites heaven! When we praise God, we must think beyond notes, form or technique. Praise and worship is a powerful expression of love that transcends the possibilities of music. Praise is a supernatural way of expressing our thanks to our ever loving God.
We must never underestimate the gift and the power of praise and worship. As we obediently bring to Him the little we can offer Him through praise, He is always faithful to respond with the greatness He has to return. As we grasp this weapon of praise God has given us to advance the kingdom, we should ready ourselves for the countless miraculous, supernatural moments in our lives.
Psalm 8:2 says, “From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise because of your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger.” This verse tells us that even our babies have been ordained by the Lord Most High to silence the enemy with praise. Silence the foe and rebuke the avenger with your praise! When you sing, praise, dance, and rejoice in the face of opposition, you are using the spiritual warfare weapons against the devil. Paul describes this in 2 Corinthians 10:4, when he says, “The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.”
No matter what you might be facing, your answer is in the arms of God. Psalm 138:2 says, “I will bow down toward Your holy temple and will praise Your name for Your love and Your faithfulness, for You have exalted above all things Your name and Your word.” This is a powerful scripture. He is exalted above anything that you face — above any disappointment, above any brokenness, above anything that tries to exalt itself higher than the name of Jesus. He has promised us His Name and His Word.